Lord Asriel and Mr Coulter
by BellatrixTonks67
Summary: One shot! More detailed version of the story John Faa tells Lyra about who her true parents are. Rated T for murder and talk of cheating on a mans wife.


_**Book verse:**_

_**This is a one-shot going into more detail about the day Lord Asriel killed Mr. Coulter.**_

_**It is the story that John Faa told Lyra about her true parents (Asriel and Mrs. Coulter).**_

_**(sorry about the weird lines further down, I have no idea how to get rid of them.)**_

_**I OWN NO GOLDEN COMPASS MATERIAL!**_

"Lord Asriel! My Lord!" The messenger boy was riding so quickly, that if they had lived in our world, Asriel would have been reminded of Paul Revere's ride to warn the towns of the British. Lord Asriel though, lived in a different world, where your soul was out of your body in the form of an animal. His was Stelmaria, a snow leopard.

"What is it boy?" Lord Asriel boomed. He was out hunting and hated to be disturbed. The boy swung off his horse and pulled it toward the Lord. His bird daemon squawked nervously.

"The man, Mr. Coulter. He has found the baby and Ma Costa."

Stelmaria and Asriel both suddenly felt rage. His child was in danger. Out of surprise, he dropped his rifle. Faster then light itself, he swung onto the horse and galloped away with Stelmaria close behind.

Asriel ran up to stone steps in front of the main. He heard screaming. His daughter and her daemon were wailing. _Lyra, my Lyra_. It was the only thing he could think.

"Get out here you filthy Gyptian, and hand over the worthless child!" Mr. Coulter's voice screamed. Suddenly the heavy doors through open and there stood Lord Asriel.

"Leave my home and child alone."

"Why should I, Lord Asriel. Marisa is my wife, not yours." Mr. Coulter's daemon, a emerald snake, hissed. They moved closer to Asriel and Stelmaria. The baby Lyra kept wailing, and the soft moans of her daemon, a little mouse at the time, could also be heard. Ma Costa was in the front closet with the child, trying to calm her down.

Asriel looked up to see Mr. Coulter's gun pointed him. Asriel remembered dropping his rifle. He was defenseless.

The gun fired, and Asriel moved just in time. His daemon was ready to fling herself onto the snake. As she jumped forward, so did Asriel. He pushed Mr. Coulter onto the ground, as Stelmaria did the same with his daemon. Lord Asriel grabbed to gun, and before the man could move, Asriel shot him in between the eyes.

Cool as paint, Asriel spoke. "Come out, Mrs. Costa and bring the baby."

The Gyptian woman stepped out of the closet with Lyra, who was clutching her daemon. Asriel took his daughter and sat her on his shoulders, walking all over the hall while laughing, to calm her nerves. Soon the child was smiling again.

An hour later, Lyra was sleeping and Asriel sat in his study with Mrs. Coulter, the child's mother.

"I'll be charged and severely punished Marisa."

"Asriel, you were defending your land and child."

"Do you not understand Marisa? The court hopefully won't charge me with murder from what you pointed out, but I will be charged for having a child with you, a married woman."

"So are you now blaming me of all of this?"

"I love you Marisa, you know that. But all I'm saying is we made bad choices and at least I will suffer from them."

"We made bad choices? We? You, Asriel were the one who begged for a child!"

"And you could have said no!"

"Of course, this is my fault. I should have seen this coming." With that, Mrs. Coulter and her golden monkey daemon left.

The judge sat at his podium like structure. "Lord Asriel. The court has decided your punishment."

Lord Asriel looked into the audience's section and his eyes landed on Marisa Coulter and her golden monkey. They had not spoken since the day of Mr. Coulter's death. It has been nearly 31/2 weeks. He turned back to the judge.

"All your property and land will be taken away. As for the child, she will be sent to be raised with the Sisters of Obedience at Watlington."

"Excuse me sir, but may I raise the child as my own?" Ma Costa spoke. "I have been caring for her since she was born, I truly do love this child and..."

"Silence! Why should I trust a Gyptian? No, the child will go to the sisters. Court dismissed." As soon as the Judge finished speaking, Mrs. Coulter stood up and started to leave with the golden monkey right behind her.

"You are making my daughter, live with nuns and the entire sort. Why should she be punished for my bad actions?"

"Lord Asriel, the law is laid. That is where the child will go."

"Why can't her mother raise her?" Even as Asriel asked the question he knew what the answer would be. At this point Mrs. Coulter was had just opened the door.

"I want nothing to do with her." That was the last Asriel saw her for some time.

"Let me see my child!" Lord Asriel and Stelmaria were standing at the front desk of the Sisters of Obedience's home were. The receptionist spoke.

"Lord Asriel, I'm not sure I have permission to let you do that."

"The law never said I couldn't see her!" With that he walked right into the living section. The receptionist went back to her papers. As he and Stelmaria walked along, the saw that each door was labeled with a sister's name. Asriel knew the sister caring for Lyra was Sister Annalisa. He looked for the sister's name. Suddenly Stelmaria stopped.

"Asriel, here!" He looked toward his daemon. She was standing at a door marked Lyra. Suddenly he heard his daughter's laughter. He opened the door. There in a crib was his Lyra, and to his surprise, Sister Annalisa was in the room.

"Lord Asriel! How surprising to see you." Without even acknowledging her, he walked over to the crib. Lyra saw him and giggled more. He ran his fingers through her bright hair.

"Hello, Lyra!" He picked her up, and with Stelmaria at his heels left. Sister Annalisa followed.

"Lord Asriel! I have no idea if you even get visiting rights, but I know you can not take the child. He was at the door of the living quarters.

"I dare the law to challenge me!" He left the building.

The doorman at Jordan College saw him coming. "Lord Asriel! We were not expecting you!" His eyes fell onto the child in Asriel's arms. "And little Lyra too! Today must be a wonderful day."

"Morning Norman. Tell the Master I need to see him immediately!"

"Of course." Norman spoke into a tube on the wall. "The Master will see you now in his cottage. Quickly, Asriel made for the cottage. He opened the doors without even knocking.

"Master, I have a favor I wish you to do for me."

"What is it Asriel?"

"For my child to be raised at the college." This took the master by surprise.

"And why Asriel do you wish this?"

"I hate nuns, monks and priers. Why should my child be raised to be some nun? She could have a real destiny if she lived here!"

"I will agree with this Asriel, I trust you know what you are doing. I will hire someone to care for her and as she grows the scholars will help educate her."

"Thank you Master." He reached into his pocket. He pulled out something wrapped in black velvet. "This is for the college." He handed it to the Master, along with the child.

"Goodbye, Lyra." Then he turned to the Master. "I have no wish of her knowing I am her father. Call her Lyra Belacqua. To her, I shall be her uncle. Also never let Marisa see the child. She didn't want her, so she won't have her." Lord Asriel and his daemon left. The master looked at the child on his lap.

"Well Lyra Belacqua, you now live here. Let's see what your uncle left." Slowly the Master unwrapped the velvet. Inside was a golden compass.

_**Hope**_ _**you liked it! Please review!**_


End file.
